Marines booked for Thanksgiving

CAMP PENDLETON —— Along with turkey and all the trimmings, it
appears that having a U.S. Marine or two at the Thanksgiving Day
table has become very popular.

Every year, the Armed Forces YMCA matches young Camp Pendleton
Marines with host families on the holiday. This year, 250 families
have been matched with roughly 550 Marines, said the event
coordinator, Dawn Baker.

The matches have been booked for months, and yet phone calls
from the community looking for Marines to invite to a Thanksgiving
meal have been nonstop, she said. Recent callers have been put on a
list for next year's Thanksgiving, and that list, she said, is now
up to 200 families.

The North County Times has also received more than a dozen calls
this week.

Baker has been in charge of the program for years. She said she
has never had to advertise the 10-year-old program. People just
call, she said.

"It's always been popular, but it has been more so in the last
two to three years because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,"
she said. "People want to show their appreciation and support for
these young men."

Baker said the demand has been overwhelming thus far.

Oceanside resident Betty Palmer is just one person who wanted to
get involved this year. But she was too late, she said.

"If (the Marines) can go over and fight for our country, that's
the least we can do to show gratitude," she said. "But they've all
been taken."

The number of Marines participating depends on how many are in
the area over the Thanksgiving holiday, she said. Last year, more
than 800 Marines were matched with families. Next year's numbers
are not known, she said.

Families who wish to get on board for next year should call
now.

"I will take everybody's information and send everyone a form to
apply," she said.

The families who were selected were carefully screened, Baker
said.

Participants must provide a copy of a driver's license, among
other information. They must also acknowledge a list of the rules
and regulations for hosting a Marine, she said.

Anyone who missed a chance to sponsor a Marine for dinner can
still help the families of Marines for Christmas.

Another YMCA-sponsored program matches needy families of
junior-enlisted Marines —— sergeants and below —— for a secret
Santa program called Friends of the Family.

At least 500 Marine Corps families have been picked and will
provide a wish list for the holiday.

Baker said the families of privates and lance corporals often
ask for the basics, such as gift cards to grocery stores.